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RHODE ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 



OONS^riTUTION 



AS ADOPTED APRIL 2. 187S. 



PROVIDENCE ; 
A HERMAN cS: CO., 
18 7 8. 



hiNi 






f. 7 
OHAETER 



RHODE ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 



CONSTITUTION 



AS ADOPTED APRIL 2. 1878. 



PROVIDENCE : 
ANGBLL, HAMMETT & CO., PRINTERS. 
1878. 



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An Act to incorporate the Rhode Island Histori- 
cal Society, passed at the June Session of the 
General Assembly, 1822. 

Whereas, Jeremiah Lippitt, William Aplin, Charles 
Norris Tibbitts, Walter R. Danforth, William R. Staples, 
Richard W. Greene, John Brown Francis, William G. 
Goddard, Charles F. Tillinghast, Richard J, Arnold, 
Charles Jackson, and William E. Richmond, have peti- 
tioned this General Assembly to incorporate them into a 
Society, by the name of the Rhode Island Historical 
Society ; therefore, 

Section i. Be it enacted by the General Assembly, and 
by the authority thereof it is etiacted, That the aforesaid 
persons, together with such others as they shall hereafter 
associate with them, and their successors, are hereby con- 
stituted, ordained and created a body corporate and politic, 
by the name of The Rhode Island Historical Society, for the 



4 CHARTER . 

purpose of p7'ocuring and preserimg whatever relates to the 
topography, antiquities, and ?iational, civil and ecclesiastical 
history of this State ; and by the name aforesaid shall have 
perpetual succession ; and by the same name, are hereby 
made able and capable in law, as a body corporate, to 
have, hold and enjoy goods, chattels, lands and tenements, 
to the value of five thousand dollars, exclusive of their 
library, cabinet and historical collections and antiquities, 
and the same at all times to dispose of ; to have a common 
seal, and the same at pleasure to change and destroy; to 
sue and be sued, to plead and be impleaded, to answer and 
to answer unto, to defend and to be defended against, in 
all courts of justice, and before all proper judges ; and to 
do, act and transact all matters and things whatsoever 
proper for corporate bodies to do, act and transact ; and 
to establish and enact such a constitution and such by-laws 
as shall be deemed necessary and expedient, and provided 
that they be not repugnant to the laws of this State, or of 
the United States ; and to answer to the breach of those 
laws such fines as they may deem fit. 

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the said corpora- 
tion be further authorized and empowered to elect and 
qualify such officers as may by them be deemed necessary 
to be chosen at such time, and to hold their offices for 
such period, as the constitution of said corporation shall 
prescribe ; and to appoint and hold such meetings as shall 
be thought proper. 



ellAliTIR. o 

Sec. 3. And be it fi/ii/ier enacteJ, I'hat said Society 
shall establish two cabinets for the deposit and safe- 
keeping of all the ancieht documents and records illus- 
trating the history and antiquities of this State ; one of 
said cabinets in the town of Newport, for the safe-keeping 
of the records of the early history of the southern section 
of the State, and the other in the town- of Providence, for 
the safe-keeping of the historical records of the northern 
section thereof ; and that the anniversary of said Society 
sliall be holden in said Providence. 

Sec. 4. And be if further enacted, That Jeremiah Lippitt 
be authorized and empowered to call the first meeting of 
the corporation, within three months from the granting of 
this charter, giving public notice of the same. 



AMENDMENT. 

/;/ General Asse^nb/y, January Session, 1878. 

An Act in amendment of an act entitled " An Act 
TO incorporate the Rhode Island Historical Soci- 
ety," PASSED AT the JuNE SeSSION, 1822. 

// is enacted by the Genera/ Assembly as follows : — 

Section i. That said Rhode Island Historical Society 
shall, from and after the passage of this Act, have and 
establish but one cabinet for. the deposit and safe-keeping 
of its collections, and said cabinet shall be located in the 
city of Providence. 



iSflllllli 



ARTICLE I.— Of Membership. 

Section i. The Rhode Island Historical Society shall 
be composed of Resident, Corresponding, Honorary and 
Life Members. 

Sec. 2. No person shall be eligible as a resident mem- 
ber, unless, .at the time of his election, he shall reside in 
the State of Rhode Island ; nor shall any person be eligible 
as a corresponding or honorary member who shall not, at 
the time of his election, be a resident out of said State. 
Life members may be either resident or non-resident. 

Sec 3.. No person shall be eligible as a member unless 
he be recommended by the committee on membership : 
and all votes on the admission of members shall be by 
ballot. 

Sec. 4. Whenever a vote shall be taken on the admis- 
sion of a member, and there shall be found three ballots 
against his admission, the presiding officer counting the 
votes, shall declare the election postponed until the next 



CONSTITUTION. 7 

regular meeting of the Society. At the next meeting, if 
the recommendation of the committee be not withdrawn, 
he may be admitted by the major vote of the members 
present and voting. 

Sec. 5. Every corresponding or honoraiy member 
elect, who shall not acknowledge his membership in 
writing, or sign the constitution within one year from the 
time of his admission, shall not be considered a member 
of the society. 

Sec. 6. Each resident member shall, on his admission, 
pay an admission fee of five dollars ; and thereafter such 
tax or taxes as the society may impose, not exceeding three 
dollars, in any one year. 

A member on the payment at one time of fifty dollars to 
the treasurer, may become a member for life, and shall 
thereafter be exempt from all assessments or annual tax, 
and shall be entitled to all the privileges of a resident 
member. 

Sec. 7. Neglect to pay any tax for the period of one 
year after demand in writing from the Treasurer, shall be 
deemed a withdrawal from the Society ; and the Treasurer 
is required to report the names of such delinquent mem- 
bers in order that they may be stricken from the rolls of 
the Society. 

Sec. 8. Resident and Life members alone shall be en- 
titled to vote at the meetings of the Society. 



8 CONSTITUTION. 

ARTICLE II.— Of Society Meetings. 

Section i. The Society shall hold four regular meet- 
ings in each year; on the second Tuesday in January, 
and on the first Tuesdays in April, July and October. 

Sec. 2. Special meetings shall be called by the Secre- 
tary on the written request of the President, or any five 
resident or life members. 

Sec. 3. Notice of all regular or special meetings of the 
Society shall be given by advertisement thereof or other- 
wise as the Society may direct. 

Sec. 4. Seven resident or life members shall constitute 
a quorum for the transaction of business. 

ARTICLE III. — Of Officers and their Duties. 

Section i. The officers of the Society shall be a Presi- 
dent, two Vice-Presidents, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a 
Librarian and Cabinet Keeper, and as many Pro-Curators 
(not to exceed one in any town or city) as the interests 
of the Society may demand, — and the following Standing- 
Committees, viz. : a Committee on Nomination of New 
Members, a Committee on Lectures and Reading of 
Papers, a Committee on Publications of the Society, a 
Committee on Care of Grounds and Buildings, a Commit- 
tee on Genealogical Researches, and an Audit Committee. 
All Committees to consist of three Resident or Life Mem- 
bers, and all officers must be members of the Society. 



CONSTITUTIOif. y 

Sec. 2. The officers of the Society shall be chosen at 
the regular meeting of the Society holden in January in 
each year, and shall hold their offices for one year and 
until others be elected in their places. In case the Society 
make no election at said meeting, they may do so at their 
next, or. any other meeting regularly called, and they may 
fill any vacancy in any office at any regular meeting. 

Sec. 3. The President shall preside at all meetings, 
preserve order, give the casting vote, and perform such 
other duties as usually appertain to such an office. In his 
absence, one of the Vice Presidents shall discharge his 
duties, and in their absence, the Society may appoint a 
chairman of the meeting. 

Sec. 4. The Secretary shall keep a fair record of all 
the proceedings of the Society, and notify its meetings, 
and shall be the organ of communication of the Society. 

Sec. 5. The Treasurer shall have charge of the pecu- 
niary concerns of the Society, shall collect all admission 
fees and taxes, and shall pay all bills against the Society 
when properly audited. At the meeting in January he 
shall present his accounts, after they shall have been ex- 
amined by the Audit Committee, and shall exhibit his 
books and papers to the Society when required. 

Sec. 6. The Librarian and Cabinet Keeper shall safely 
keep in the cabinet of the Society, all books, manuscripts, 
papers, documents, and other articles committed to its 
charge. Members of the Society by consent of the Libra- 



10 CONSTITUTION 

rian, shall have liberty to read or examine any book or 
manuscript in ihe cabinet, but will not be allowed to re- 
move the same therefrom, unless by a special vote of the 
Society, and when thus removed, the person taking the 
same shall in each case sign a receipt therefor, conditioned 
to pay to the Society such sum of money as the Cabinet 
Keeper may deem proper, in the event of its non-return to 
the cabinet within three months from the date of receiving 
the same. 

Sec, 7. The Pro-Curators shall solicit donations and 
contributions for the Society, shall endeavor to obtain new 
and suitable members, and shall in their respective dis- 
tricts further the influence of the Society, and act as its 
representatives in all matters, and shall at the annual meet- 
ing or oftener make report of their doings, and of matters 
of historic interest in their district or vicinity. 

Sec. 8. "The Committee on Nomination of New Mem- 
bers," shall endeavor to increase the number of members 
of the Society, by propounding from time to time the 
names of such persons as they think will be desirable 
additions thereto, consent of such persons having been first 
obtained. 

Sec. 9. " The Committee on Lectures and Reading of 
Papers," shall endeavor to have lectures and papers of a 
historical character read before the Society, as often as 
possible, in order to maintain and increase an interest 
therein. 



CONSTITUTION. 11 

Sec. io. "The Committee on Publications of the So- 
ciety," shall have charge of the printing and binding of all 
publications of the Society, unless otherwise ordered by 
special vote, and they shall from time to time recommend 
the printing of such matter in our collections or obtainable 
from other sources, as they may deem of importance and 
within the limit of our means. 

Sec. II. "The Committee on Care of Grounds and 
Buildings," shall have the general charge of the grounds 
and buildings of the Society, see that they are kept in 
good order, and have authority to contract debts for 
expense of the same, not exceeding in any one year one 
hundred dollars, unless by special vote of the Society. 

Sec. 12. "The Committee on Genealogical Researches," 
shall seek to facilitate and promote genealogical studies, 
collecting, classifying and arranging available materials, 
and securing for the Society genealogical records for gen- 
eral reference. 

Sec. 13. "The Audit Committee" shall examine all 
claims on the Society before they are presented to the 
Society to be acted on ; and shall, before the January 
meeting of the Society, examine the Treasurer's accounts 
and report thereon. 

ARTICLE IV.— Of Amendments. 

This constitution may be amended or repealed by a 
a vote of two-thirds of the members present at any regular 

L.ofC 



12 CONSTITUTION. 

meeting of the Society, provided, that notice of such pro- 
posed amendment shall have been presented in writing at 
a previous meeting. 

ARTICLE V. 

This constitution shall go into full effect immediately. 

Resolved, That all constitutions, by-laws, acts or resolu- 
tions inconsistant with this constitution, are hereby repealed. 

The above resolution and constitution were adopted 
April 2, 1878. 



True copy, — attest 



AMOS PERRY, 

Secf-etary, 




Lb JL '04 



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